Not Over Yet
by NorthernMage
Summary: Sequel to Silence of Division. It's been three months since N and Renina freed their mother, and they're now allied with the Federation. The siblings begin to repair the galaxy, but it's soon discovered their world is shattering beneath them, and they might not have each other left in the end. Whispers of Change and Silence of Division need to be read before reading this story.
1. Three Months Later, It Begins

**NorthernMage here! A bit over a year ago, I published a fanfic called Silence of Division. At the time, I never thought I'd write a sequel for it, and assumed it would be a standalone story. However, I began to collect ideas that came to me, and a while ago, I began planning this sequel.**

**Anyway, I'm a bit nervous posting this story, because with six months of planning going into this thing, I kind of expect it to be awesome. There aren't really any warnings I think I need for this story. There's a large amount of hurt/comfort and angst. The plot is a bit darker than Silence of Division's, at least in my opinion.**

**While there's a lot of angst and sci-fi in this, that was also in Silence of Division, so that's why I picked different genres this time. Those themes will still appear, but so will others. Also, don't read this without having read the rewrite of Silence of Division. I've updated the summary, so that should make it clear.**

**I'm not sure on how regularly updates will be coming, either. Hopefully it won't be too long.**

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own FTL or Pokemon.**

**N: Hey, what happened to using us for the disclaimer?**

**Me: Not enough new people to do a new one each time. I'd have to reuse you and Renina repeatedly.**

**N: *shrugs* Fine.**

**_Chapter 1: Three Months Later, It Begins_**

_General POV_

Tiredly, Renina rubbed her eyes, forcing herself awake while she looked at the clock. Eight in the morning. _Dammit, I really need to get up_, the seventeen year old thought, irritated.

So, as she yawned, she swung herself out of bed, and started to get ready.

It had been three months since N and Renina had found Lithana, and three months since they had removed Ghetsis as the leader of the Plasma Empire.

In those three months, a lot of things had happened. The Federation and Empire had gone back into negotiations, with Renina now able to assist. Thankfully, the alliance had developed without any problems so far.

With N's eighteenth birthday two weeks after they had found Lithana, and Renina's seventeenth just a month later, things had been hectic. Both days had been spent with the three of them together, despite Lithana's efforts to find any people who either of them wanted to come with them and spend the day with.

In the end, N and Renina had both stayed out late on their birthdays, long after Lithana had decided to let them have some time alone.

_'You know, part of me never thought I'd see this day.' N said quietly as they looked over nighttime Atiris. It was about ten to midnight, but the capital of the Plasma Empire had only seemed to get busier as the night went on._

_'Really?' Renina looked to her brother, standing a bit back, out of the wind. 'I never doubted it.' They were on the rooftop of an older building. It was one of the taller buildings, but it was completely deserted that night._

_'You didn't? Even when we had to try and talk to that group of Mantis?'_

_'Ugh, don't remind me.' They were both quiet. 'Maybe I doubted it a little, but I had confidence in our ability to not die.'_

_N laughed softly. 'Yeah, our "ability".' He paused. 'Not being responsible for anything we were apologising for.'_

_'So, does it feel different? Being eighteen?' N was silent, looking at the lights shining across the city._

_'In a way, yes. But at the same time, it doesn't.' He turned to Renina. 'It's hard to describe.' She shrugged._

_'Great, you're going all philosophical on me.' Renina smiled. 'Knowing me, I won't understand until next year, when I'm eighteen.' The city seemed to quieten for a moment, as if silently acknowledging midnight._

_'Maybe it's like that.' N admitted as they headed back to the senate._

Renina, now dressed, grabbed a hairbrush and as she brushed her hair, slipped her holoplate into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. Stretching, she also put her hairbrush into the black and white bag, and walked over to the hyperspeed elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button corresponding to the ground level.

As she shot downwards, there was a series of five beeps, and Renina quickly dug out her holoplate.

_Lithana Harmonia: Answer or decline call?_ the screen asked her. She tapped the screen, answering the holocall.

'Hi Lithana.'

'Hello Renina. Do you remember those negotiations about that agreement for assistance on rebuilding Quariane?'

'Yeah. It was moved because of that FTL malfunction.'

'It was changed to this morning.' Lithana paused. 'The same time you and N are leaving.'

'Oh.'

'I can't skip the meeting. Do you think N could delay the departure?'

'He couldn't delay it long enough for the meeting to end, and anyway, we need to get going.' Renina was silent for a moment. 'It would only make things harder if we delayed. You can handle the politics, and we'll go and start on fulfilling our part of the alliance.' A hint of sarcasm was in her tone.

'Make sure you remember the vaccine _and_ the cure as well.' Lithana said.

'Don't worry, we won't forget it.' Renina assured her mother.

'Be safe out there, both of you.'

'We will.' As the doors opened onto the ground level, Renina ended the call and put the holoplate back into her bag as she headed outside.

The _Captivity_ was stationed just outside, and hundreds of crew members were carrying boxes of medicine to the spaceship. Knowing she had time, Renina let herself take a good look at it. It was absolutely huge. Ever since she had first seen it, at fourteen years old, she had never been able to find words to describe it's size.

She frowned at the memory of when she had first seen it. That had been when N had been forcibly put in charge of it. While she'd been furious, hating the fact her brother was going to be forced to do things neither of them could agree with, N hadn't been.

He'd realised almost straight away what this had meant: he had been seen as loyal, and therefore been given a huge warship with enough firepower to do absolutely anything...

...when he was fifteen.

Of course, N had been and still was anything _but_ loyal to Ghetsis.

It was a black mountain of metal, shining in the sun. The glare reflected brightly off it, and Renina couldn't help but look at the bridge, where she knew N was.

Her eyes scanned the ship for the lift that brought people up to the bridge without needing to traverse the inside of the ship. Spotting it, she started to head towards the lift.

As Renina headed to the ship, she noticed that it wasn't just the political situation that was different. All of the crew members seemed happier. There was a spring in their step that she hadn't seen before. Usually they were completely schooled into silence and respect, but now it was like they were actually enjoying the work they were doing.

Never mind the fact the boxes they were carrying were as heavy as hell.

_Is this doing something more than helping the galaxy?_ Renina wondered as she looked around. _Seeing members of the Plasma Empire, never mind the crew of the ships, happy, is surprising._ She allowed herself a small smile as she went up in the lift, and entered the _Captivity_.

'Sir, we've loaded three quarters of the cure.' The officer turned to see the boy standing up at the control panel.

'Good. What about the vaccine to Kirau Olumi?' N Harmonia asked, his eyes trained firmly on the computer in front of him, displaying all the systems on the ship.

'Almost done as well, sir.'

'Notify me when they're done.' he instructed the officer, opening a menu on the screen.

'Sir.' N scrolled through the supplies being loaded.

_This should be enough to cover the systems we were assigned to cure. There's relief supplies as well. That's good, I doubt they'll get back on their feet straight away_, he thought.

Changing to a different menu, he looked through the ship systems. _Everything seems fine. Huh, we've even got some power left over._

There was a slight hiss as the doors to the bridge opened, and Renina walked up beside him. 'Everyone is so busy.' she commented. 'How long have all of you been down here, anyway?'

'I came down to organise things around seven, but everyone else arrived sometime between six thirty and seven.' N yawned. 'Not really an ideal morning, if I'm honest.'

'Yeah well, Lithana can't come down to see us off.' N looked to Renina.

'Well, _that_ definitely reminds me of someone.' She sighed.

'I know, that reminds me of Ghetsis too. Either way, at least this was important. It was about rebuilding Quariane.' N was quiet for a moment, and his eyes dropped from Renina.

'Well, you know what we agreed.' he said softly, so only she could hear as he looked back to the screen.

'Yeah.' Renina replied in the same soft murmur. 'Anyway,' she began, her voice back to it's normal volume, 'how long have we got until the rest of the cure and vaccine are loaded?'

'Not too long. Most of it was already loaded when you arrived.' N said, his voice back from the low murmur it had been seconds before.

'Sir! We've loaded all of the supplies.' an officer called.

'Good work. Set the FTL drive to jump to Tactarus V.' N replied. He looked back to Renina. 'Are you sure we want to go there first? It's been three months, we don't know what shape that settlement you tried to help is in.'

'The medical staff took care of me until those Plasma members arrived. God knows where I'd be if everyone at the settlement hadn't taken care of me until they arrived.'

'Sounds like I owe them too, then. They made sure you survived.' The air was filled with a soft humming, and the _Captivity_ slowly rose, until it was into the atmosphere. The sky around them was a light purple.

'So, at normal speed, how long until we get to Tactarus V?' Renina asked N. 'Still as long as last time, a few days?'

'Yeah, but we have a bit more power than last time.' he muttered, keying in a passcode to access the power distribution menu. Swiping upwards, he transferred the last three bars of power to the engines. 'That should get us there in an hour, two hours if there's a problem.'

'Yeah, I'm going to put my bag away and rest. You going to stay up here?' Renina asked. N looked at the door that led out of the bridge and back to the room full of officers. _I should probably stay up here, but I should probably get some more sleep too...it's not going to be good if I have to try and get stuff done on five hours worth of sleep..._

'This is stupid.' he breathed before calling out. 'Arot! Take over, I'll be back in around an hour.' Arot nodded and walked up to the controls.

'If I may ask, why, sir?' N rolled his eyes.

'This dumb eighteen-year-old needs to _sleep_, dammit.' Arot nodded, before freezing as the words sunk in. He stared after them as they left.

'You're never going to let him off for that, are you?' Renina asked in the lift, referencing the time N was called a dumb seventeen-year-old, three months earlier.

'Eventually, yeah, I probably will.' N admitted as the lift began to head to their separate levels and rooms.

_N's POV_

I hadn't really understood why Renina had wanted to head to Tactarus V first.

After all, it would be just like any other planet with Kirau Olumi. It was going to struggle, and yes, Renina _had_ been taken care of there, but I hadn't really understood why she had fought so hard to go there.

But now, I stared in near horror at the settlement. I knew it wouldn't be good, but...I hadn't expected this. Renina turned to me.

'Yeah, this is why I wanted to come here first.' she replied to my stare.

Obviously Renina had had more experience with these things. There was a handful of buildings which looked like they'd been picked clean, and groups of dying people all over the place. I felt like I was going to be sick.

'Come on,' I whispered, trying to keep some control, 'let's find the people in charge of this settlement.'

Renina led me through the groups of people, until we arrived at the largest building, which from what I could tell, was a hospital. We entered, and Renina slipped out her holoplate. 'Everyone's looking for you.' she said, looking to me. 'How fast did you run off?'

'Oh shut up, I nearly threw up.' I replied as a woman came up to us.

'Who are you?' she demanded, not seeing Renina behind me.

'I'm N, from the Plasma Empire. We agreed with the Federation to become allies, and we have a cure and vaccine for Kirau Olumi.'

Her eyes narrowed. 'Plasma Empire, huh? So you're part of the group that was hunting down the _Fallen Angel_.' _Oh joy, she's going to start on that._

'Yes, but-'

'What did you do to that girl you found here? Renina?' Obviously having finished on her holoplate, Renina looked up and saw the woman.

'Asaria?' The woman stared back.

'Renina? I never thought I'd see you again!' Renina shrugged.

'Well, I knew what I was doing when the Plasma Empire came looking.' Renina looked to me. 'N, this is Asaria, she was one of the people who stayed with me before you turned up.'

'Thanks for taking care of her. I don't think she would have survived without anyone's help.'

'Oh, it was no problem.' Asaria looked at the two of us, her eyes moving from Renina, to me, and back again before widening. 'Are you two...'

'Are we what?' Renina asked. Asaria sighed, smiling.

'All I can say Renina, is _damn_ you work fast!'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Well, it's only been three months since you two would have met, and you two are obviously together.'

_Renina's POV_

Hang on...

_She thought N and I were together?!_

N looked like he had just taken a bite out of a lemon. 'I'm sorry,' he gasped, '_what?!_'

'He's my brother!' I insisted. 'Not...not my _boyfriend_!' I couldn't even imagine anyone dating N. It wasn't that he was...not likeable, even factoring in sibling rivalry, he wasn't that hard to deal with most of the time.

It was more the fact I had never seen him look at a girl twice.

And the fact Asaria had thought _I_ was dating _N_, who was my _brother_...

'We-we're related!' N gasped. 'Not together!'

_Couldn't have put it better myself._

'But...physically, you two are nothing alike.' Asaria frowned, folding her arms.

'Y-yes we are!' I protested. 'Same eye colour!' She raised an eyebrow.

'Blue is a fairly common eye colour, especially for Atirians, which I assume you two are.'

'Yeah, but we just look really different because Renina's blonde!' N gasped, still trying to get over the idea of us being together.

Which I honestly couldn't blame him for.

'Seriously, are you going to say we're together because I look more like my mother?!' I asked. 'I mean, N just got less of our mum's genes!'

'We're both...kinda tall.' N said, looking to me for a moment. I glared at him. We'd both gotten a bit taller over the last few months, and at the moment, I was only about half a head shorter than him.

_I'll overtake you one day,_ I told him.

_Yeah, keep dreaming, _he thought back.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know.' Asaria apologised, seeing our reactions. 'We don't know much of the Empire out here.' That was when it properly sunk in. 'So, Renina, you were just spying on the _Fallen Angel_.'

'No, I wasn't. When Quariane was attacked, I had no warning, and just tried to get out of there. I'd been separated from the Empire for six months before that.'

'Ah. Well, why are you two here?'

'Like I said before, we have a cure and vaccine for Kirau Olumi. As part of an agreement with the Federation, we've shared it with them.'

'We were heading out to cure planets of the disease, and well, I remembered this dusty place.' I said, my eyes on Asaria.

Asaria put her hands over her mouth. 'Are you serious?' she whispered. 'You...you can save us?'

'That's right. We just wanted to see if it was alright before we started.' N explained.

'Is this going to come back and bite us? I know the cure is very hard to create, and therefore very expensive.'

'We're not going to charge you to save a planet, Asaria.' N said gently. 'We chose to come and help, it'd be wrong to expect anything in return for something like this.'

Asaria's shoulders started shaking, and she quickly wiped away her tears. 'Oh god...thank you. Thank you so much.'

'Well, I think I'm going to go look around for a minute.' I said. I needed to find out if any of those people I met last time were still alive. I remembered a conversation with one of them.

_'But...my sister is really sick! This _has_ to help her!'_

'Wait, neither of you have quarantine suits!' Asaria said. 'You're going to get infected!' I held my right arm out and rolled up the long sleeve. In the middle of my forearm was a light blue patch of skin. Around it, all my veins were more obvious.

'Both of us were vaccinated against Kirau Olumi. We don't need suits.'

'I'd be surprised if we weren't immune, after all those doses.' N said, wincing as he rubbed where he was injected with the vaccine. 'Either way, we're fine,' he finished as I walked out.

_Asaria's POV_

As Renina walked out, I saw some of the other leaders of our planet. Tactarus V only had this one settlement, so we weren't just leading it, but the entire planet.

Sometimes that felt like too much. I looked over at N, who was glancing outside, and barely hiding his horror at the situation on the planet.

_Isn't he eighteen or something? That's what I heard, anyway. To think he's one of the next people in line to rule the Plasma Empire..._ To be honest, the idea that Renina and N, who were at least three or four years younger than me, would be in charge of one of the largest galactic empires ever one day made me worry.

Renina seemed relaxed, but at the same time, she was clearly very close to N. I frowned as I waved over one of our leaders. They shook their head: they couldn't come right now. I shrugged back, communicating it was fine.

Now that I thought about it, I would have heard of something about the heirs to the Plasma Empire at some point. Thinking hard, I realised that all I had really heard at all was in the last few months. There had been a rumoured change of leadership, but then again, there were always rumours about those kinds of things. My eyes drifted back to N. _Could I ask if they were true? It might be a sensitive topic. He looks a bit young to be next in line, anyway._ Maybe I had been wrong, and he wasn't one of the Plasma royal family. Although, to be eighteen and obviously pretty important in the Plasma Empire...

The differences between him and his sister were huge. Renina seemed more open, while in a way, N was quieter. At the same time, it was like he protected Renina, but I had no trouble believing that he might be much more determined than her.

It was something about the way he acted, something about him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was there.

Something about the way he and Renina acted...a lack...

_A lack of trust._ The answer clicked into my mind. It was like they didn't trust anyone but each other. _Or_, I thought, _they just don't trust_ me. _Who knows, maybe they're prejudiced against non-Atirians. I doubt either of them have had much time with people who weren't trying to win them over._ Then, a group of six people rushed in, all dressed in the same plain black uniform.

'Sir, you need to have this with you.' one said, holding out a small round metal circle. N sighed.

'Fine. I don't see the point, though. If things got serious enough that I'd desperately need it, I wouldn't be able to use it.'

'It's a precaution only.' They were silent as he took it. 'Is there anything you need us to take care of?'

'Go and help everyone else. We need to make sure everyone is cured and immunised.' They nodded, and walked out. I looked at the circle. To my surprise, it was a portable electromagnetic pulse generator.

'You must be pretty good with your ship to get one of those.' I commented. That model was able to knock out all machinery and electronics in a huge radius. Also, that ship they had turned up in was beyond impressive. When I had seen it descending into view, I had been lost for words. He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, like it was an uncomfortable subject.

'It's not really like that.' N replied, looking at me. 'I'm the prince of the Plasma Empire. They get like this around me.' So I hadn't been wrong: this protective young man in front of me really _was_ going to rule the Plasma Empire, likely quite soon.

'Really? Does that mean you have a title I need to call you by?' N shook his head.

'No, I don't usually get called anything special.' I heard him mutter something, but I couldn't make it out. It sounded a little like '...anyone else did.'

'Guess this must be a fair way from what you're used to, then.' I gestured around us.

'That's putting it mildly. Also, Asaria?'

'Yes?'

'If the crew of the _Captivity_ start going all tense, and freak out, it's probably better just to let them do it. I'll sort it out, so don't worry if that happens.'

'Do they freak out sometimes?' I asked, a small smile on my face.

'It's more likely to happen around me.' he admitted. 'Being the next in line for the Plasma Empire does that to a person.'

'Okay, I'll let you handle it then, if something happens.' I told him. He nodded, before looking outside again.

'I need to go and make sure everything's working out there. Do you mind?'

'Oh, no. It was good talking to you, though.'

'Same back to you. I'm sure I'll run into you again before leaving, though.' N headed out of the hospital building, and I watched silently as he walked out of view. _Definitely an interesting person_, I thought to myself.

_Definitely interesting._

_Renina's POV_

I smiled softly as the sister of the boy I had met last time held her arm out to the medic.

'This is going to sting a little, okay?' the older woman said warmly to the little girl. The girl nodded, looking anxious. The moment the syringe was revealed, the cure an electric blue, the girl moved back, scared.

The medic tried to calm her down, but after a few minutes of this, it obviously wasn't working. I stepped up to her, and gently held her arm. 'Hey, don't worry. It's not going to hurt you.' She stared in confusion at me, and her hand pushed my sleeve up, to reveal where I had been cured. Eyes wide, she poked the blue skin, and bright blue shining veins.

Tilting her head, she looked into my eyes. I smiled, keeping her attention. She looked back to the needle and nearly started crying.

'It'll make everything better.' I told her, kneeling down and putting my arms around her. She pushed her head into my shoulder, and I held her arm as she was injected. I heard a soft whimper of pain, and she moved back, scratching her arm.

'Rub it, that way it won't bleed.' I suggested, rubbing the now bright blue veins. She nodded, and as she did, a smile came over her face, and she ran off, maybe back to her family. I stood and watched, looking for her brother. _Please say he made it..._

A boy stumbled out of a building, and ran to the girl. They talked for a moment, then he turned in my direction. He waved to me, and I waved back, thankful. _He's probably been cured too, I think I can see the blue skin patch._ The patches and bright blue veins would go away after a day or two. It was just a side affect of the vaccine.

I started to head back to the hospital, trying to find N. _I wonder how we're going so far._ I looked around, searching for him.

As I walked, I saw a gleam of silver out of the corner of my eye. Frowning, I glanced in the direction they were aiming.

A sniper rifle was resting on top of a pile of boxes. I couldn't see the person on the other end. It looked like they were about to fire. Out of curiosity, I turned in the direction they were aiming.

My heart stopped.

Right in the firing line was N, who was turned away from the gun.

My mouth opened, about to scream a warning, because _he was my brother I couldn't lose him no no no!_

But before I could do anything, the gunshot rang out through the hot air. N jerked, and spun around, a hand shooting to the back of his head.

We made eye contact for a moment. All I could see was pain, confusion and terror.

Then he crumpled to the ground.

* * *

_I'd really like nobody to know about this. Seriously, this is practically a diary, and well..._

_Oh for the love of God if it helps me get through this I guess I'll do it. Even if I look at this and end up wanting to scream at how stupid it all sounds._

_If we'd known what would happen, I'm certain neither of us would have gone to Tactarus V that day._

* * *

**Well, that was certainly a cliffhanger, wasn't it?**


	2. The Call

**NorthernMage here! Seeing as there's a very high chance of my updates slowing soon, as life is very likely going to be much busier for a while, I decided to get this chapter out as fast as I could. Which was difficult, given my recent discovery of Doctor Who, and the difficulty I had writing this chapter. Emotional writing is my weak point, along with fight scenes. Don't worry though, it's not going to make me abandon this story. No way would I leave something like this unfinished.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**I don't own Pokemon or FTL.**

_**Chapter 2: The Call**_

_Renina's POV_

'NATURAL!' I screamed.

_No..._

_No._

_NO!_

I ran. I felt like I was barely moving at all, all I knew was that _N had just been shot oh god don't let it be true don't let him die!_

Suddenly, as I got closer, and the crew closed in around N, something grabbed me.

'Renina, listen! They're not going to be able to help N if you get in the way!' She pulled me closer, and a small part of me realised it was Asaria.

'I'M NOT GOING TO GET IN THE WAY!' I yelled. I turned and tried to run to N, but she grabbed me again. 'LET ME GO!'

With Asaria forcing me to stay still, I could only watch in horror as the crew clustered around him. A blue electric pulse flowed out from the centre of the group. As it passed electrics, they turned off. I heard the sound of guns getting ready to fire.

'Back away from Renina Harmonia!' voices ordered. I couldn't look away from where N was, watching as a stretcher was carried over. Everything was fading away, like wool had been pressed over my ears. Dully, I heard voices.

'-onia? Renina, are you alright? Did that woman hurt you?' I was pulled away, and turned to see a group of crew members. One stepped forward.

'Renina, are you hurt?' Faintly, I realised it was the officer who was second in command, Captain Taulon.

'No.' I heard myself say. How could I sound so calm?! Darkness was replacing my sight. Taulon's eyes widened.

'Are you su-' That was when the stretcher passed us.

He looked so limp. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe.

_Limp, like he's dead._ My legs gave out beneath me, and everything turned dark.

* * *

I was staring at dark, black metal when I woke up.

_Where am I?_

There were soft blankets beneath me, and as I sat up, I realised I was in my room on the Captivity. A lot of things had changed since taking control of the Plasma Empire, and I had gotten a new room to my old one, which had been near the bottom of the _Captivity_.

There was a hiss, and the door opened, to reveal Arot.

'Miss Harmonia?' The crew only ever called me that in two situations. Either when they thought Ghetsis could be listening, or if it was being recorded and they knew he might be able to find the recording.

The only other time was when something serious had happened.

I stiffened, the image of N crashing to the ground flicking through my mind. I had to try and resist the urge to curl up into a ball and block everything out.

'How'd I get here?' I whispered. He blinked, but answered.

'We were trying to talk to you, but you weren't responding. When the stretcher with the prince on it came past us, you saw it and fainted. A group of the crew brought you back here. It's been three hours since you fainted.' He paused. 'While you were unconscious, we've discovered a problem we need help with.'

'Yes?' I replied shakily, trying to keep my voice calm.

'The medbay is struggling with the power it's being given, but we can't change it without the passcode, which as far as we know, only N knew. Did he tell you it?' I nodded, swallowing as I tried not to cry.

'Can you come and put it in so we can give the medbay more power? It'll help keep N alive, and give the doctors more to work with.' Arot explained. I nodded, and stood slowly, following him as he led me out.

As we entered the bridge, I saw that everyone was working hard.

'We've almost completed the cure and vaccination. Three quarters of the population is protected.' a man called out.

'Yes, once you're finished, get back onboard. We'll need to sort out a few things on the ship before we have any chance of leaving.' another crew member said into a headset.

'Up here.' Arot led me to the control panel, which was where all of the ship's systems could be accessed. I tapped on the screen.

A small blue menu appeared. _Passcode_, it ordered. I tapped the keyboard, and keyed in the code. _76536661_.

It showed a screen with a list of menus, and I scanned it until I saw Power Distribution. Opening it, I gave it the passcode again, and a list of the systems and the power levels for each one was shown. Slowly, I removed the three bars of power N had given the engines, and moved it to the medbay.

'That's enough.' Arot said quietly, and I closed the menu, leaving the main menu showing. 'It's best that you wait in your room until we leave.'

'I need to go and see something first.' I said. 'Don't worry, I'm not leaving the _Captivity_.' I told him, seeing his expression. 'I'm just going to the medbay.'

_Just going to the medbay._

_Like it would be as easy as that._

_Like I'm not going to see whether I still have a brother._

I watched as the screen in the lift lit up different sections of the ship, waiting for when the medbay would glow, displaying that I had arrived. After a few minutes, it did, and I exited the lift. I began to walk down to the end of the hallway in the medbay, looking around for the area where the stasis chambers would be.

It took a while, but eventually I found the room I knew he would be in. Just as I reached into my pocket for my medical access card, my hand froze.

_Do I really want to see this?_

_Of course I do! He's my older brother, I have to know if he's alive!_

_But what if N _isn't_ alive? What if when he fell to the ground, he died?_

Choking back a sob, I turned and ran.

_Lithana's POV_

'So,' General Tiatua said, 'how is _this_?'

I sighed, looking up from the document in front of me. Quariane definitely needs help, doesn't it? I'd gone into the meeting six hours ago, and we'd managed to get a lot of the details decided, but the size of the project was what was overwhelmed me. I could understand why General Tiatua was irritated as well.

Every time we came to an agreement, it frustrated someone. I looked back down to the document. _Fifty billion dollars, my god. _I wasn't going to try and escape it, the Plasma Empire _did_ owe the Federation. It wasn't like we couldn't afford it. It would make a large dent in what we had, though.

'I know it's steep, but when you take into account the damage...' the woman trailed off.

'Oh, I know.' I muttered. 'Let me guess, a lot of that is for the deaths caused?'

'No, your ships are just good at blowing up buildings. You shouldn't underestimate the Federation, we know how to evacuate. Medicine has really achieved miracles. Bionic prosthetics are all that really happened. I'm not even sure there were many deaths.'

'I wasn't underestimating. I was taking into account what I heard from my daughter.' General Tiatua stared.

'Renina was on Quariane during the attack?' I stared back.

'You've met?'

'Yes, just before your son, N, turned up to try and create an alliance with us.'

'Oh? She didn't mention it.'

'There was an...incident. I doubt she'd want to think about it.' What had happened?

'What exactly happened?' I saw the general begin to show signs of anxiety.

'I'm afraid that's not my story to tell. I wasn't responsible for it.'

'Well, that's for another time. I have no problems with this arrangement.' I gestured to the documents. Tiatua sighed with relief.

'Now then-'

'I don't see how you can possibly agree to this!' the admiral of the Plasma fleet interrupted. 'We're going to collapse at this rate! You agree to everything they ask!' I took a deep breath. _Come on, you can do this_, I told myself.

'If it's what we have to pay to fix what we did wrong, I'll happily do everything I can.'

_Renina's POV_

I swallowed. In front of me was my holoplate, and it was open to the call menu. I couldn't leave it any longer.

I had to tell our mother what had happened.

_'Be safe out there, both of you.'_

_'We will.'_

I had failed. N was dying or maybe even dead, and I still hadn't been able to just walk into the room he was in.

I wasn't able to. I couldn't, I really couldn't bear to hear silence. Not when it was around him.

_'Well, you know what we agreed.' he said softly, so only I could hear as he looked back to the screen._

_Of course I do._

'I don't know.' I mumbled. 'I don't know what to do.' _I know we always keep our promises, but this is too big! I can't do this, not this time! This...it's not breaking the promise I made to N. This is telling people what they deserve to know...right?_

_He'd admit that she deserves this._

As I reached to the holoplate, I saw my hand was shaking badly. Slowly, the numbers appeared on the screen: _2387 2933 Lithana Harmonia: Call?_ I swiped upwards, and watched in near terror as the beeps sounded. 'Beep, beep, beep, beep...'

_Lithana's POV_

'I'm not going to just-' I was interrupted by a series of beeps.

'Is that a holoplate?' Tiatua asked. I frowned.

'Let me check.' Quickly, I reached into the small bag I had brought into the meeting, to see it was my holoplate. Strangely, it was Renina calling me. _She knows I'm in a meeting right now, why would she call?_

'Well?' the general asked.

'Yes, it's mine. I'll be right back.' Standing, I left the room, holoplate in hand.

Closing the door behind me, I answered the call. No image of Renina appeared on the other end, obviously she hadn't wanted a holocall.

'Renina? What's wrong? I was in that meeting.' Suddenly, I heard choking sobs, like she was trying to hold them back.

'S-sorry, then. I...call me back later.' Her voice broke, and it was clear she could barely talk without crying.

'Renina...' I breathed. What was wrong? I had never heard her like this. 'What's wrong?' I asked her gently.

'Mum...' she whispered. My heart nearly stopped. In the three months since finding me, neither of them had called me that. They had always called me by my name.

_What had happened to make Renina collapse like this?_

'I-it's N.' I could hear her shaky breathing. Maybe she thought I was going to be angry. _I'm not going to get angry at her, after all I doubt it's anything big. But, something about N that made her this weak and shaky..._

'He got shot.' My eyes widened, and I stared at the holoplate. _What...where?!_ Renina had collapsed into incessant tears by this point.

_Renina's POV_

It was my fault. I'd seen the bullet, I'd seen the gun pointing at him.

_And I hadn't stopped it. Hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been able to even warn him!_

_Lithana deserves to hate me._

_Lithana's POV_

'Where?' I choked out. Renina kept crying. 'Where, Renina?!' I gasped. I needed to know, I couldn't be locked out of this!

'I-in the-' I heard her swallow. _Maybe it was in the arm or leg. Those can both be a problem._

'I'm not going to be angry, Renina.' I said quietly. Eventually, her voice peaked, and the answer came out weak and high-pitched.

'In the head.' I stared in horror, those words slowly sinking in, my mind putting the answer together.

_I-it's N. He got shot. In the head._

I was going to be sick.

_N had been shot in the head._ Why else would Renina have fallen apart to this extreme? How had I not known it was serious?

'Is he alive?' I whispered.

'I don't know. I haven't been able to see him yet. I couldn't go into the room he was in, not alone.' Renina said quietly back. 'Mum, Lithana, please, _help_.'

'I'll be there as soon as I can.' I replied, trembling. 'An hour, maybe two at the most.'

'Okay.' Renina's voice was soft. There was a click as she ended the call. Slowly, I began to stand, only for my legs to give out. With Renina no longer listening, I stopped trying to hide the fact that inside, those few words had damaged something deep within me.

When I heard footsteps, I wiped away my tears, and stood. As I reentered the room, Tiatua began to speak.

_Ariyta Tiatua's POV_

'Admiral Denalo, we're trying to put an end to hostility. As Lithana said, we're deciding the price of peace.' I swear, this man was going to make me kill him in a minute. I looked up, and saw Lithana. 'Oh, so you're back.'

'Yes.' She sat back down. 'So, have we decided?' Her voice was a little jumpy, and I saw she was much paler than when she had gone out to answer that call.

'Yes.' Denalo muttered. 'But it's on you if we fall!' he growled at Lithana, who simply looked at him.

'I know.' Her voice was soft, and she turned to Denalo as she spoke. _Something's going on here._

'Well,' I said, 'we still have more to arrange, but that can be another day.' As we stood, Lithana turned to Denalo and began to speak softly. His eyes widened as she went on, and he nodded.

'Of course.' With Denalo's answer, Lithana hurried off, and Denalo quickly picked up the alliance agreement. His holoplate beeped, and he quickly looked into his pocket, checking the message. Denalo then looked to me. 'Your ship is completely refuelled for when you want to leave.' He then left the room, leaving me standing there.

What had I missed?

_Lithana's POV_

I hurried down the hallway to Renina's room. It had been about two hours since I'd spoken to Renina on Atiris, and I had to make sure she was alright. Arriving at her door, I opened it to see Renina sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. A blanket was around her, and slowly she looked up at me. Her eyes were empty, and very red. She'd obviously been crying.

'Renina!' I gasped, and rushed over to her. I sat on the bed with her, and she turned to me.

'...Mum?' she asked, voice weak. All it took was that one word to make me crumble.

'Oh Renina...' I whispered, pulling her close. I felt her begin to shake, and soon she began to cry.

'I-it's my fault...' I heard her choke out, pushing herself into my shoulder.

'None of this is your fault, Renina.' I told her, rubbing her back.

'Yes it is, I saw the gun and when I turned around it was pointed right at him!' Renina moaned. 'I tried to warn him, but I wasn't fast enough.' She looked up at me. 'Why wasn't I good enough?' Tears were pouring down her face. 'After everything he's done for me, _why couldn't I save him?_' I didn't know what to say. Renina and N had told me barely anything about before they had found me, and how they had lived. _N must be protective of her._

'Come on, we need to take a walk.' I told her, and we headed out of her room to the lift.

Renina was silent until she saw I had selected the medbay.

'No, not there! I can't, I don't wanna!' she wailed, backing into the corner of the lift. 'It's all my fault, what if...'

'Renina, I'll be there with you. I need to know as well. I'm not going to wait until we get told from the doctors.' She stared in silence, looking confused. I waited for her to say something, but we stood there until the medbay lit up on the screen, the lift the only sound either of us heard.

Renina walked past me and began to head down the hallway. Following her out, I hurried to catch up with her.

'Do you know the room he's in?' I asked. She nodded. I noticed her hand had turned into a fist in her pocket. We walked in silence until Renina stopped in front of a room labelled _"Stasis chambers"_. Weakly, Renina took out a small card, and swiped it by a box next to the door. There was a beep as the red light on the box turned to green, and Renina slowly entered the room, and I followed her.

'Down here, I think.' Renina mumbled, looking around. By this point she'd been only sniffling, but I had a feeling that wouldn't last for long.

'Renina!' We turned to see a doctor hurrying up to Renina. 'I assume you're here to see him?' he asked.

'To see N, yes.' I answered. He sighed.

'Come with me. I'm in the team taking care of him.' We followed the man, and we went into a separate area. Heading through three sets of doors, we arrived at a larger stasis chamber than the other ones we had seen earlier. 'We have to make sure his injuries don't get any worse until we can get back to Atiris.' the doctor said quietly.

Floating in the chamber, was N. He was shirtless, and was wearing an oxygen mask. His head was tilted forwards ever so slightly, and despite the liquid filling the tank, which was supposed to support the person inside, was limp. His hair had been tied back, probably to stop it from floating around the entire chamber.

_Is that how I looked after being injected with Alantis Moragan? Limp, almost gone?_ I wondered.

_No, don't think of N as being beyond hope! Don't you dare think of the slightest possibility of losing him!_ I ordered myself.

'How is he?' Renina asked, voice shaky.

'Not good.' the doctor replied. 'While his condition isn't deteriorating, he isn't improving, either. His heartbeat is very weak, and we can't say for sure whether there's any other damage. We can't run any tests, not with N being this weak. Our only way to tell if anything's happened is what we can see on the surface, and the first signs would have to be the areas closest to the wound.'

'Upper body.' Renina said. 'That's why he's shirtless.' Her voice was wobbling, but I saw that while her eyes were full of tears, not a single one had poured out. 'But, he's going to be okay, right?' She looked at the doctor, obviously needing assurance. He sent me a pained look.

_Honest answer or something that'll keep her together?_ the look asked.

_Honesty._ I looked back at him. He sighed.

'Right now, he's not getting any worse, so you could say he'll be okay. However, we'll have to take him into surgery immediately once we're back on Atiris. From there, I can't say.' Seeing Renina was barely holding back tears, he paused, then continued. 'If there's anything the galaxy knows, it's that both of you are fighters. As long as he keeps that up, he's got a chance.' Renina nodded, and walked back over to the chamber, turning her back to us.

'Thank you.' I said quietly. He nodded once, then walked away. I went over to Renina, and pulled her gently into a hug.

'H-he...I don't...' she sobbed.

'N has a good chance of getting through this, you heard the doctor.'

'That wasn't what he said.' Renina mumbled, and looked up at me, bright blue eyes clouded by tears. 'He said that N had a _chance_, if he kept fighting. He's already done so much, and I don't think it's fair for him to have to keep fighting.'

_Was she saying N should just give up?!_

'Why does it always have to be him under pressure? Why can't the world just _give him a damn break for once?_' I was silent. 'Worse, what if _he_ can't? What if N just can't keep going?' Slowly, I began to understand what she was saying. Everyone had limits, what if N had reached his, and wasn't able to pull through? From what I'd seen, Renina would be an absolute mess if that happened.

'You don't know that's going to happen.' I told her. 'Who knows how strong they really are? After all, I know that even when people have nothing left, if it's important, it's still possible to push through.' When Renina said nothing, I sighed inwardly. 'It's getting late. You need some rest, Renina. Making yourself sick isn't going to help N.'

'Yeah.' Renina mumbled. I pulled her into a tight hug, before letting go.

'I'll be in my room if you need me, alright?' Renina nodded, and I left the room.

_Renina's POV_

I leaned my head against the chamber, closing my eyes.

_It's my fault you're like this, and it's my fault if you don't make it. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..._

Slowly I lifted my head, and made myself leave the room, and wait for the lift. Obviously Lithana had already gone to her room, as it was empty when it arrived. I pressed the button that would take me to my level, and stood in silence as the lift moved to my level.

Eventually, the doors opened, and I went over to my room, and after opening the door, collapsed on the bed.

_I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..._

* * *

_Why us? I've always wondered why we're in this position. It's close to the meaning of life, I guess, but I want to know why we're the ones in the middle of the chaos._

_I've never had a decent reason to think about it before._

* * *

**So now Lithana knows. An old character will return in the next chapter, so look out for them! Anyway, see you next time!**


End file.
